Florida Tech Softball Wins First Sunshine State Conference Championship
Panthers Defeat Eckerd 5-0 on Senior Day to Clinch Title
MELBOURNE, Fla. – No. 5 softball had an enormous air of excitement in its final regular season game of the year as it was both senior day and the potential conference championship-clinching game. The Panthers rode the excitement out till the end as they grabbed the 5-0 win to complete the three-game shutout sweep to win the program’s first Sunshine State Conference title.
Shanysse Emerenciana had herself a day to remember as the senior went 4-4 with one run and two RBI. Vanessa Rubio also had a multiple hit game and one was a double.
Melanie Murphy (22-5) was tasked to begin the final regular season game of the year. Murphy pitched her second complete shutout of the series as she only allowed two hits and sat six down on strikes.
Just like the first two games, it was a pitcher’s duel to start the game as neither team managed to grab a run till Shanysse Emerenciana barreled one through the right-side gap, in the bottom of the fifth, to score Katrina Hand from second.
The Panthers tacked on the four more runs, in the bottom of the sixth, to guarantee the Crimson and Gray’s all-important 23rd conference win. Jaden Kline was the first one to send a run home as she hit a ball deep to right-center field that got Lexi Bettermann across home plate. In the next at-bat, a wild pitch by Eckerd’s pitcher allowed Mikayla Wessel to trot across the bag.
The score went to 4-0 when Shanysse hit a double to left field that got Hand home for her second run of the game. Senior Alexus Smith capped it off when she hit a single to left center that got Shanysse home.
This ended the scoring at 5-0 as Melanie Murphy shut down the Tritons in the top of the seventh to earn Tech’s first-ever SSC Championship.
Florida Tech will have the next two weeks off before getting back on the field in the NCAA South Regional.
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech softball team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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